Shows
We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 118 Millennial Burying Ground
The prolific and extremely talented John Dorsey is back to discuss poetics and the many, many things he does and why he does them, as well as Richard Hugo.
Contact John directly to buy his books, but also check out Tangerine Press, Maverick Duck Press, Sacred Parasite Press, Pure Sleaze Press, because he has (or will soon have) something out on all of these presses. John will be reading in Portsmouth, Ohio on March 19, 2025, and he will be reading at the Sacramento Poetry Center later in 2025.
2025-03-051h 03We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 117 Vanishment
The multi-talented Judith Dorian joins me for a conversation about poetry, play, music, memory, and what’s worth holding onto. However, most of our conversation is about Judith’s new book Vanishment, which I consistently call the wrong name throughout the podcast. Judith has lived a fascinating life of creating art, researching the classical music canon, teaching piano, writing poetry, and living around the world. Buy Vanishment, come see Judith Dorian read her poetry at Riverstone Books in Squirrel Hill on January 14th, and buy her children’s book A Tiny Little Door because it’s wonderful.
2025-01-0353 minWe're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 116 Man, I Don’t Know if Those Hummingbirds are Ever Gonna Get Here
For this episode, our most stalwart guest (Jason Baldinger) joins one of our favorite guests (James Benger) to talk about their new poetry collection Waiting on Hummingbirds, as well as James Benger’s new-ish book Floating Downstream. Through the course of our conversation we talk about poetic collaboration, old cars, and the perspective that comes when writing about youth in middle age.
You should attend the Zoom book launch for Waiting on Hummingbirds on Friday, December 6th at 8 PM Eastern Time, and buy the book from either James Benger’s Bandcamp Page or Jason Baldinger’s Bandcamp Page...
2024-12-021h 01We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 115 Hope Really Is a Prison
Rebecca Schumejda is an excellent narrative poet and editor of Trailer Park Quarterly. In this podcast we discuss her ekphrastic collaboration with old friend of the podcast Jason Baldinger. Hope is a Prison is a collection of photographs from a former prison and sanitarium while Rebecca’s poetry tells the story of the complicated life of Liberty, a child who has seen the worst of what this world has to offer. We also discuss her books Sentenced and Waiting at the Dead End Diner. If you like this podcast, be sure to tune into the Hope is a Prison Vi...
2024-10-2259 minWe're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 114 Shannon Norman’s New Groove
Shannon Norman is a Pittsburgh based standup comic, barber, and runs the Good Enough Comedy Showcase. Shannon also is recording a new comedy album on September 14, 2024. Instead of talking about his new album, I engage in cynical self-promotion, we discuss being an insufferable college radio DJ, and we do talk a bit about writing comedy in the shadow of bad teenage poetry.
You really should get tickets to Shannon’s show, or another Good Enough Comedy Showcase, and maybe give Human Raccoon a listen, though it was a different Shannon Norman than the Shannon Norman that’s Shan...
2024-08-301h 22We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 113: John Dorsey is Really Good at Writing John Dorsey Poems
This episode is about a poet I try (and fail) at emulating. John Dorsey is profoundly prolific and prolific at being profound. He publishes on average 8 to 10 books a year. This includes his greatest hits collection from the last 3 years Holocaust Agave, the forthcoming Farewell Tour from Tangerine Press in the UK, and several titles from Spartan Press. He will also be soon appearing in the Literarium. He also does a subscription model which you can find out about on John’s Facebook. You can also find him on tour in March of 2024 at Mac’s Backs on Coventry in C...
2024-03-0652 minWe're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 112 Renaissance Gem
Gem Fair does literally everything, from writing about music for Pitchfork, to making music as Space Buns Forever, drumming for Big Baby, Playing second bass for Larval State, and being the front man for Positive Thinking. Gem does it all, including some stuff we forgot, like being a ring announcer for Enjoy Wrestling. And like everyone one this podcast who practices in more than one medium, we go deep on what parts of the human brain get exorcise with each medium, as well as what it means to make art before the apocalypse. Finally, be sure to check out...
2024-02-0959 minWe're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 111 American Aorta
Old friend Jason Baldinger is back with a new book and new conversation. Jason did a lot of reading from his new book American Aorta, and American Aorta comes with its own playlist! As always, Jason is super funny, engaging, and honest. Our conversation ranges from rust belt memories, travel, and the craft of poetry. Jason reads a poem about a famous Ben Shahn painting and many others. Catch Jason reading at the Poets Building Bridges Series on February 10, 2024.
2024-02-061h 13We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 110 Dr. Hazel Contains Multitudes
Dr. Hazel is a botanist, punk bassist, artist, zine publisher, and as you will hear in this podcast, intellectual powerhouse. I learned a lot about the natural world and tried not to sound stupid. Check out her art on Instagram, and see more things Dr. Hazel created on Tumblr, Hear her talk more about post-industrial ecology on the Plant Pals Podcast.
2023-09-2252 minWe're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 109 Miracles that Keep Charlie Brice Going
For this episode I sit down with Pittsburgh Poet Charlie Brice to talk about his 7th and soon to be 8th books. In the process we talk about the power of humor and the persistence of memory in poetry. Charlie’s book Miracles that Keep Me Going is out now, and the best way to purchase a copy is to get one from Charlie at charlie.brice[at]gmail[dot]com, or come to the Miracles that Keep Me Going Book Launch Party at Riverstone Books in Squirrel Hill.
2023-09-0457 minWe're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 108 Rust Belt Resurrections
If you can believe it, Jason Baldinger is back on the podcast! HOWEVER, Jason is with us to talk about his new adventures as a photographer. Right before he departed to set up his gallery show at the Osage Arts Community, Jason and I discuss the ways in which poetry and photography often come from the same impulse, the beauty of decay, and how editing is its own act of discovery. Check out Jason Baldinger’s Bandcamp to engage with his poetry, and check out Jason’s Instagram to see some of his photography.
Swearing always.
2023-08-301h 11Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 107: Great Guy is Finally Here
Damon Di Ciccio and Michael Sanchez first started working on the film The Return of Great Guy in 2005, they shot it in 2006, and several hard drive crashes, cross-country moves, and a poop ton of perseverance later, The Return of Great Guy is finally ready to be seen. Listen to me geek out about this delightful, smart, and funny film as Damon and Michael talk about what it means to see a project like this through to the end. We discuss what it means to make a film without a budget, and what to do when the cops show up...
2022-10-111h 13Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 106: This Still Life
We’re back from another unplanned, unannounced hiatus, and who knows, this could be the beginning of another one. Old friends Jason Baldinger and James Benger discuss their new split poetry collection This Still Life. In our discussion, we talk about what it means to work on a collection like this, James and Jason read, and during The Bottom 5, we accidentally discover while rock music is cool and so are lots of rock bands, a lot of folks who are in rock bands aren’t cool. You can buy This Still Life on James Benger’s Bandcamp Page. And you ca...
2022-09-031h 02Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 105: An Oral History of Bob & the Dangerous Brothers in 10 Questions
Obviously, you’re probably thinking that everything can be said about all of the shining constellations in the musical universe that is Bob and the Dangerous Brothers has already been said. However, after months of tense negotiations with their legal team, we were given the opportunity to ask the members of the post-Bob and the Dangerous Brothers band B.U.F.L.O. ten agreed upon questions that explore the aura of the musical oeuvre that is all things Bob. The upcoming April first release of the live album Free, Bob! and the highly anticipated rarities collection The Bobthology on...
2022-02-141h 16Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 104 The Slingshot Vignettes
Tony Burfield’s new collection of haibun poetry is a vivid recollection of a Northern Appalachian childhood. Burfield’s haibun poems capture two aspects of memory: the stories we tell and the emotional responses we feel. During our conversation we do a deep dive into the world of poetic form, the role of wilderness in his poetry, and why it’s good to have a little taste of primal fear in daily life. (And don’t worry, Tony explains what haibun is.) Buy Slingshot Vignettes from the big Borg book site, or contact Tony Burfield through his Twitter or Tony’s I...
2022-02-101h 14Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 103: Tethered to the Unexpected
Dr. Roxana Cazan is a poet and professor who engages with the beauty and sadness of our human frailty. Her new collection of poems entitled Tethered to the Unexpected: Poetry about Illness explores death, birth, illness, motherhood, and what it means to be connected to people across continents. She reads some of her fabulous poems, and I find out what it feels like to give birth. Be sure to buy Tethered to the Unexpected, on Alien Buddha Press, and check out the stunning cover art by the Romanian artist AURA etc as well as AURA etc’s Instagram.
2022-02-0253 minWhatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 102: Jason Baldinger’s KTel Record
Our most frequent guest has released his KTel record of the greatest hits and unreleased poems. A History of Backroads Misplaced is a retrospective of the last decade of his work. During this episode we look back at Jason Baldinger‘s evolution as a poet, what it means to revise old work, and there are some special surprises at the end.
And sooo much swearing
2022-01-241h 08Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 101: Spiff Wiegand is a Bookend
For our very special 101 episode, we we go back to the beginning with our guest for our first ever episode! Spiff Wiegand is a musician, actor, aspiring producer, and all around interesting human. He joins the podcast from a McDonald’s Parking Lot in Georgia. During the course of our sprawling conversation we discuss: Spiff’s Patron songwriting project, Spiff’s music, Spiff’s love for making old fashioned radio dramas, and Spiff’s life in the theater, including The Spiffemol Industries Radio Hour!
And it’s not a podcast if I don’t swear.
2022-01-181h 20Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 100: Ghost Mother
For our 100th episode we didn’t do a cheesy clip show. Instead, poet Valerie Bacharach stopped by for a deep discussion on memory, grief, and poetry as a tool for healing. Valerie reads from her new excellent book Ghost Mother, which you should buy Ghost Mother from Finishing Line Press or buy it from the big borg book retailer.
On October 7, 2021 at 7 PM Valerie and a host of other great Pittsburgh Poets will be reading at the official book launch for Ghost Mother, through the White Whale Bookstore, and you can sign up to watch the re...
2021-10-031h 02Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 99: The Afterlife is a Hangover
Jason Baldinger is one of the folks who has made this podcast what it is, and who better to have on for our last show in the double digits but him. However, this was perhaps the most difficult podcast I have ever recorded, because it is about his split poetry and art book co-authored by Nell Hendricks called The Afterlife is a Hangover. The book is about the death of someone who meant a lot to a lot of people Pittsburgh musician, writer, professor, and record store owner Karl Hendricks.
We miss Karl, we love Karl, and...
2021-09-121h 33Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 98: Chris Q Murphy has a Livestream Now
We intended to discuss Season 1 of Chris Q Murphy’s livestream where he performs his songs and discusses songwriting craft with guests. However, CQM is the person I have been close friends with the longest, and well . . . things got off track. Join us for our intimate conversation about music, young people, and creativity.
Do check out past episodes of the Chris Q. Murphy Tuesday night livestream on his YouTube channel. Listen to CQM through his Bandcamp Page.
Most importantly, recognize that two guys from Jersey cannot not swear.
2021-09-061h 22Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 97: Just Brook, Anyway Here’s Wonderwall
Brook Pridemore and I set out to talk about noise and music, and immediately we got sidetracked into an intimate conversation about the death of monoculture, protective identities, and what it means to revisit places that mean a lot to our (often painful) personal memories. During the conversation we kinda forgot to talk about why you should check out Brook Pridemore’s music on Bandcamp, but we did briefly touch on BP’s Patreon all request livestreams.
There is a moment of low bandwidth issue Zoom autotune about 10 minutes in, but it clears up quickly and what foll...
2021-08-291h 16Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 96 Uprooted
Nina Padolf is a poet who writes about family history, trauma, and memory. Her poems exist at the intersection of personal history and that which we often prefer not to discuss. Thankfully, during our podcast we were able to have a deep and meaningful conversation about poetics, identity, and Dr. Padolf reads for us.
You can buy Uprooted from the big Borg Online Retailer, OR you could contact Nina at ninapoet[at]gmail[dot]com. You can also check out her readings at Riverstone Books in Pittsburgh on September 30th at 7 PM and at the Uprooted Book...
2021-08-2252 minWhatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 95: I was a Weak Man. Now I’m a Bad GhostEW Harris is a musician who fuses sci-fi and folk, playing on upcycled instruments and cell phones. His new single “Bad Ghost” explores the ways in which our insecurities and regrets might just follow us into the afterlife. During the course of our conversation, we talk about how being born in the Rust Belt might … Continue reading Ep. 95: I was a Weak Man. Now I’m a Bad Ghost
2021-07-091h 06Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 94: I Can’t Believe It’s Not a Digital Slumber PartyAnthony Kapfer and Amber Irish host an excellent comedy/variety talk show on Twitch TV every Monday night at 10 Eastern called Digital Slumber Party. Anthony also has a new comedy album entitled, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better. We discuss both and why being buried alive is the worst way to die. Also, we get … Continue reading Ep. 94: I Can’t Believe It’s Not a Digital Slumber Party
2021-06-081h 08Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 93: Gilded Age End Time CheeseburgersJohn Grochalski is a poet, novelist, editor, and junk wax collector. Not sure we talk about any of those things, but we do have a lively conversation about poo on pizza, 21st Century America, and people who poo in public in 21st Century America. It’s a well rounded convo, really. Eating a Cheeseburger During the … Continue reading Ep. 93: Gilded Age End Time Cheeseburgers
2021-05-131h 12Whatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep 92: Fr. Bede Hines TOR Memorial Poetry Reading with Dr. Matthew UssiaIn this extra special episode of We’re All Gonna Die. I’m sharing the audio of me reading my poetry at St. Francis University. St. Francis is a very special place to me, and I wanted to be able to share my reading while being respectful to the privacy of others, so I cut of the … Continue reading Ep 92: Fr. Bede Hines TOR Memorial Poetry Reading with Dr. Matthew Ussia
2021-04-0937 minWhatever – We're All Gonna Die! (And Other Fun Facts)Ep. 91: This Land is STILL Your LandfillIn the spring of 2020, The Homeless Gospel Choir released an album that is a quantum leap forward, just in time for the world to shut down. In this podcast, I talk to Derek Zanetti and Matt Miller about what it means to put out an amazing album that cannot be toured on. You really … Continue reading Ep. 91: This Land is STILL Your Landfill
2021-04-0252 min